The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-10
HOW IT WORKS IN MAINE.
A Correction Of Hon. j. W. Sparks.

Upon reading NJ. ]. w. Spar kiss speech
against prohibition, recently made at Mnr,
frccsboro, addressed Il letter to Hon. Neal
Dow, Of Portland, Maine. The following reply
from Mr. Dow will explaine Itself. iorbcAr
further criticism of Mr.. Sparkss speech ut
present. regarding Mr.. BOWS letter as Suf
BE- HAYNES
of the 10th is just received incloSing printed
paragraph, said To bc part Of 4 speech Of Stale
Senator Hon. j. w. Sparks. is:
"But will pass on now TO 1857, when Maine
passed what was and Is now known as the
Maine law, under the leadership Of Neal Dow;
and this same man, Neal Dow, after figuring
since 1851, now says. or hns snid recently In
public speeches, that the whole thing Is n fail
urc, and that prohibition does not prohibit"
am not little surprised that this same
cent retreat from the fnlschood contained In
the few lines which you sent me- If Mr..
Sparks hnd said. II am told so." or, the
newspapers Say so TO- ne W'u1a R nave S SSsapen
Ia So" Perhaps Mr. Sparks may be surprised
to learn that Inever said that Mt any timeand
anywhere. On the contrary, / have Sa!d
thousand tlmes,in the newspapers, the mag.
Law is now, and has been from the first, n
great SUCCESS.
i. 1t has suppressed every distIllcry and
every brewery IN the State. We had many Of
them. -
2. It has swept clean Of the liquor traffic
more than three-fOurths OF the State, contain
ing more than three-tourths OF our populG-
ton. In all our rural districts and our small
ler towns and villages the traffic In any form
In practically unknown. An entire genera
tion has grown up there, never having seen a
saloon. knowing nothing OF the influences OF
places where strong drink is sold. In Maine
the word "fniiure," as applied to this law, Is
never heard from anybody, though we haye
many who do not like It; nor ia 1t ever seen
in GxceRi cSeo
go, Texas, Tennessee, and other places far
away.
). In 1884. after more than thirty years ex-
perience of the blessings OF prohiblCi0n, our
people put 1t into the constitution by n major
ity of Al ,O75. tho affirmative vote being nearly
three times larger than the negative.
4. Before the enactment OF the law Maine
was said to be the poorest state IN the Union,
our people spending In drink the entire taxa.
BILE property Of the State i'm every period OF
less thnn twenty years, rs tho people OF the
Nation are now doing In every period OF thir-
s. Names share Of the national drink-bill
would be now about thirteen million dollars,
but half million will pay the cost OF all the
liquor smuegled into the State anc sold In
violation OF law.
G. Maine is now one of the most prosperous
States in the Union. We save directly more
than twelve million dollars, and indirectly as
much more. In both cases annually. which
:. In the old rum time all over the State
there were obstruSive and offensive indiea-
tions everywhere of poverty, dilapldatiomn,
quor curse arc seen nowhere.
s. Our industries are greatly multiplied and
extended, with abundant capital with which
TO conduct them profltably. We have great
deal of outside cnpital seeking safe invest
ments in other States. Before the Law we
borrowed money of all who were foolish
enough 10 trust us; now we borrow OF nobody.
but lend largely In exchange for the securities
as personally know.
8. Prohibition is accepted by all our people
rs the settled, fixed policy Of the state; IT
can no more be changed than can our policy
Of civil, religious, and personal liberty. 1t Is
valued by our people as our form OF govern.
ment Is, and our policy Of free, universal edu-
cation.
TO- Before the Maine law our people were
sh ftless thriftless. poor; now they are active,
industrious, enterprsinS, thrifty, rich. The
LIQUOR traffic earns nothing-its intiuenceis to
waste the wages OF labor ana 10 ruin all VINO
come under its influence.
II. The liquor traffic still fingers on small
scale, and more or less on the sly, In our larger
towns and cities. This Is due to certain de-
known to us, which we shall have corrected
nv and by; we are working for that now.
Liquor will be sold here and everv where. In
violation of law, as long as 1t Is profitable to
40 So. LII uIllcuuiuR OuI law uS VIC Quail w
In the near future, there Is nothing required
but such penalties Of fine and Imprisonment
as will make 1t Improbable to everybody
who shall persist in It's violation; at the same
time providing for the prompt, quick admin
istration OF it's reproofs, with no power In the
courts to postpone trials or sentences, nor IN
any way to diminish or soften tho punish
ment. 1t must be so much fine and SO much
Very truly yours, NEAL Dow.
Portland, Me-, Juno l3. 1897.